A small glimpse of the future was on display today on the campus
of the Stevens Institute of Technology.

Robotic gadgets of all shapes and sizes, as well as computer
software of the future filled the gymnasium at the Hoboken university during its annual Innovation Expo. It was an all-day science extravaganza showcasing the ingenuity and
imagination of the students at the Steven's Institute, said Christos
Christodoulatos, vice provost for innovation and entrepreneurship.

"Every year they are getting better and more sophisticated,"
Christodoulatos said about the students' projects.

More than 600 projects were on display in the Canavan
Arena & Walker Gymnasium and throughout the campus during the seventh annual expo, which focused
on the environment, energy, healthcare, cyber-security, among other topics.

"We have our students
working in the entire spectrum of research," Christodoulatos said.

One of the more eye-catching displays was a three-armed
omni-directional robot that looked like something out of a Star Wars movie.

William
Capon III, one of the seniors that designed the robot, said it is
controlled by a joystick and can maneuver in any direction instantaneously –
unlike a wheeled vehicle that requires the entire device to rotate when it
turns. It also has a suspension system that allows it's body to move up and
down.

Capon said the ground-up design, which utilizes three
basketballs for wheels, took about two years to engineer. He added that a
fourth arm could also be installed for more stability.

"It feels great today to finally be
done with it ... and come here with something we actually set a goal (for),"
Capon said.

In another part of the gymnasium,
Longfei Zhang was hooking up biomedical monitors to Edward Rupp's body. Rupp was
wearing what looked like a headset that connected to a sensor pack clipped onto his belt. The device tracks and transmits his body's vital signs – such as heartbeat and carbon
dioxide emission – to a computer.

Rupp said he and his team were working with the
United States Special Operation Command to develop software that can monitor
the body's exhaustion levels.

"We (use) an algorithm based on
three different sensors and a time-to-exhaustion equation, and we basically use
that in order to predict when an individual or soldier will become exhausted,"
Rupp said.

In layman's terms, Rupp said that
their program will tell you when you need to take a break.

Rupp said the program has obvious
value for the military, but added it could be an invaluable tool for first
responders as well as athletes in the future.

In a large tent outside the gymnasium shortly before the
expo kicked off around 1:30 p.m., senior Justin Rue was standing next to a 1,500-pound miniature tank known as the Picatinny
lightweight weapons system, version two, which he and his research team created.

As flashy as the treaded vehicle was -- which looked like something
you see bomb squads send into to defuse a suspicious package -- Rue said he and
his team developed software to control the optics system placed on the top of
the mini tank.

"What we were doing is writing the software so we can
optimize it," Rue said.

The all-day event included lectures, research colloquiums and design competitions.

But the expo was more than just a showcase of ideas.

One of the main goals, said Christodoulatos, was to
blend the students' technological inventions with the business aspects.

In
addition to parents and students browsing the projects, the expo was a chance
for students to pitch their innovations to business leaders and entrepreneurs.

Christodoulatos noted
that the expo is also catalyst for students to begin their own businesses –
many of whom do while they are undergraduates.

The expo is about "integrating the technical aspects of what (the
students) learn with the entrepreneurial aspects," Christodoulatos said. "We do
emphasize the economic value of their ideas."